Why do you ANSWER questions in the programming forums?
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
1. To simply help out and give back to repay or pay forward the help that I have received over the years. 3. I don't think that you can do anything in my case. The east coasters answer the questions before I get out of bed.... 4. Aren't they already recognized as MVPs (CodeProject)?
Why is common sense not common? Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level where they are an expert. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to be lazy Individuality is fine, as long as we do it together - F. Burns Help humanity, join the CodeProject grid computing team here
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"Tabs in the reply box" Not sure which way you mean.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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Programmer's editor (tab key works for block indents vs. just moving to the next form field) perhaps?
Oh, TAB tabs. Right.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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Oh, TAB tabs. Right.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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no, the real stuff, preferably 4 spaces wide! :)
Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [My Articles]
The quality and detail of your question reflects on the effectiveness of the help you are likely to get. Show formatted code inside PRE tags, and give clear symptoms when describing a problem.
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I just want to make sure that whoever helps out gets the kudos they deserve (but probably aren't asking for).
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
I'd agree with that. Most of the helpful people here find reward enough in knowing that they've provided an answer that is helpful. It's a good feeling to know that you've helped another soul to have a good day. Points and kudos will not change that. I'm just really glad they're here when I need them...
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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CPallini wrote:
Tabs would be really welcome
Tabs? In what way?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
To be able to insert tabs in the post submission text field I reckon.
-- Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
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To be able to insert tabs in the post submission text field I reckon.
-- Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
You reckon well. :)
If the Lord God Almighty had consulted me before embarking upon the Creation, I would have recommended something simpler. -- Alfonso the Wise, 13th Century King of Castile.
This is going on my arrogant assumptions. You may have a superb reason why I'm completely wrong. -- Iain Clarke
[My articles] -
Because I'm bored, and I decide to see what's going on in the programming forums, and before I get too disgusted too quickly, I try to find a question that I actually know the answer to that hasn't already been answered. I really admire those who hang out in the programming forums and actually devote time and attention to answering questions. You guys are the real heros of the CP community, IMO. Marc
Marc Clifton wrote:
I really admire those who hang out in the programming forums and actually devote time and attention to answering questions. You guys are the real heros of the CP community, IMO.
And mine! Dave Kreskowiak in VB is worth his weight in M&M's!
------------------------------------ "Possessions make you poor, wealth is measurable only in experience." Sun Tzu 621BC
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
1. Why answer? What is the motivation?
Because getting answers to questions was how i got started, and I know it can be very frustrating. Also, i still post questions, so I reckon it's kinda karmic.
Chris Maunder wrote:
2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer?
I don't think the current system is that bad - i look through the technologies that i know, answer what i can.
Chris Maunder wrote:
3. What would encourage you to answer more more?
This might be a bit tricky, but if there was any way you could craft something clever to in some way send a small shock to those people who post a question, when the very same question has been asked recently by somebody else (often on the same page in the forum), then that'd be cool... Bit of an ASP.net forum problem.
Chris Maunder wrote:
4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep?
See karmic answer to number 1.
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
1. Because it's something I'm interested in. To get my own ideas clearer in my head. To show off. Because I'm stuck on my own work. 2. Seeing a list of open questions, categorised. 3. Probably having another section on the newsletter showing latest/top/unanswered questions. And see below. 4. Most sites just do this with points or fancy names for contributors but how about this, code project pay 1c (or 5?) per correct answer, chosen by the asker. Users can also by question credits (in real money) and stump them up for important questions, chosen answers take the cash. You might only make 10 or 20c a question but every now and then it buys you a beer/burger/screenwipe. You'd overtake Expertsexchange in no time. 5. Question always shown at the top of a page, answers shown with clearer votes by contributors (i.e. no need to click an answer to open it or at least to see the score) and chosen answer flagged in a different colour when the asker decides.
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
In answer to your questions 1) Because I can. It's nice to help people and watch them grow and learn. Conversely if I see a question I don't know the answer to I won't answer it. Whihc sometimes irritates the poster but what he may not think about ts that no one knows the answer to is question. 2) For me easer would be displaying the header of each question and beside it have the number of replies. Then when you click the heading it shows the OP and the heading of the replies. 3) Not sure - nothing really 4) MVP of this site 5) Not sure on another side of things question that I ignore completely is when they haven't formatted the code correctly and there's so much of it I can't read it. It's just a waste of my time trying to understand it.
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
I think it was time to answer such a question. 1) The motivation for me is simple, I want to help people, that can (at some stage) help me. I am working in the field of science, where this is normal. 2) What would really help is if the title gives you a hint about what it is about. For example programmer questions. I don't know if it is really required, but we also could have a section with noob questions, such that those can be easily be divided from the other stuff. But as I said I don't know if this is really necessary. 3) I don't know, I really try to answer things that I know or where I think I know the answer. so for me it isn't a problem. 4) First of all I think its hard to recognize them. But I think the people how get the answers should vote them good. For my opinion that might be the best. 5) I think it is more or less fine the way it is now. It is straight forward. Hope I could help. Cheers
You have the thought that modern physics just relay on assumptions, that somehow depends on a smile of a cat, which isn’t there.( Albert Einstein)
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"Tabs in the reply box" Not sure which way you mean.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Yeah, like wot they said!
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
1. Why answer? What is the motivation? If I can help I will. It's the karma thing in case one day I need to ask something. 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? Pre-filtering of questions to prevent duplicates. Sorry, but less morons having access. 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? See answer to 2. Also forcing, as much as possible, questioners to mark as answered. Off the top of my head, could we stop people from asking another question until the current one has been answered? Stop idiots from deleting a question because they have an answer. 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? I like DD's Super-Question-Answerer-Icon_Symbol 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion? It's okay now.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
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1. Why answer? What is the motivation? If I can help I will. It's the karma thing in case one day I need to ask something. 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? Pre-filtering of questions to prevent duplicates. Sorry, but less morons having access. 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? See answer to 2. Also forcing, as much as possible, questioners to mark as answered. Off the top of my head, could we stop people from asking another question until the current one has been answered? Stop idiots from deleting a question because they have an answer. 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? I like DD's Super-Question-Answerer-Icon_Symbol 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion? It's okay now.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.
Regarding unanswered questions, there should be a way to highlight them. Probably an automatic way of bumping them from the hundreds of post posted. I also like the idea of categorizing quetsions using beginner/middle/complex categories. Also rating the users or giving them badges (next to their names), who answered and their answeres were accepted would encourage them more to answer.
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
1. Why answer? What is the motivation?
Everyone's a beginner some time. Many of those don't even know what question to ask because they don't even know what the possibilities are. I still don't. So I try to help when I can, because that might trigger them to help when they can.
Chris Maunder wrote:
2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer?
If people could learn to fill in the subject properly. Maybe exchange the "subject" line to "Short description of your problem" and "Text" to "Details" Having fewer forums but with tagging. C#, VB, ASP.NET, LINQ and Framework should be one .NET forum and you tag what's applying to your question.
Chris Maunder wrote:
3. What would encourage you to answer more more?
Not having to work for money.
Chris Maunder wrote:
4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep?
I think that the original poster should have the possibility to tag the best answer. The voting system open to anyone is misused a lot for personal vendettas or funniest way of taking someone down. (I don't say it should be removed though, we need humour)
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
1. Why answer? What is the motivation?
Many reasons: The foremost reason is actually "I dunno". It's a compulsion, addiction, like Carlo said. It's also a way for me to give back to the community, seeing how much I've leeched from here. Besides that, it helps me to remember those crazy APIs.
Chris Maunder wrote:
2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer?
The questions must follow the guidelines (which does not happen most of the time). The guidelines may ask them to include the contents callstack (in case of crash). However, a typical question would be like:
"My program crashhed after I clikedab batton. PLZ anbody hlep me."
Chris Maunder wrote:
3. What would encourage you to answer more more?
Time is one factor. These days I'm more busy, but I always find my time to participate on the C++/MFC forum. You might as well consider giving us a BOB mug. :wink:
Chris Maunder wrote:
4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep?
What better than the MVP award? You might as well consider making some as the forum moderators (edit/remove or move the posts between forums)
Chris Maunder wrote:
5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
That was beaten to death by someone else. (The one you voted 5 for)
It is a crappy thing, but it's life -^ Carlo Pallini
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Why answer? Part of one of my philosophies: If we all did a little more than we had to, none of us would have to do nearly as much. With that said, I also hang my head for not spending enough time in any forums (aside from The Lounge) in order to be helpful to more people. Humans are a social species, surviving best in groups - else, we're rather easy pray: slow, small teeth, no claws . . . not even much hair to get stuck in a predator's teeth. However, get a bunch of us hairless hominids together, working and sharing experience, and the predator ends up as game for us. :zzz:
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"How do you find out if you're unwanted if everyone you try to ask tells you to stop bothering them and just go away?" - Balboos HaGadol"It's a sad state of affairs, indeed, when you start reading my tag lines for some sort of enlightenment. Sadder still, if that's where you need to find it." - Balboos HaGadol
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I look at our current programming forums and I feel we're not doing nearly as good a job for those looking for quick answers as we could. The issues: - the format isn't condusive to a question/answer type setup - questions are not getting marked as 'answered' often enough to make a difference - the same questions get asked again and again - unanswered questions disappear too quickly - members post good questions, phrased terribly Yet members post questions, and these questions get answered, basically because the guys who answer care more about helping than about having a perfect system. For those who answer questions: 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
- I answer when I am bored and I just so happen to know the answer. 2) Interesting questions 3) Cash, lacking that recognition from the dolt who asked the question. 4) Isn't there an MVP thing with a trophy and a sixpack? 5) Q/A
Need custom software developed? I do C# development and consulting all over the United States. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane